Line Of Trust

“Well, it sure as hell won’t help to be cocky now, will it?” she asked. Taylor used his finger to push off a few curls from Desiree’s forehead and kissed her again.

“Depends on the tone you use when you are,” he said. She looked at him and shook her head. “So, about dinner,” he started.

Desiree suddenly remember the room full of people they had downstairs.

“We need to get our story straight,” Taylor suggested. Desiree smiled and then laughed.

“Well, in my defense, I did try to get you to go back to the table.”

“That’s your story and you’re sticking to it?” he asked.

“It’s not a story, it’s the truth! So yes dear, I am going to stick to it.” She looked at a now frowning Taylor.

“What?” she asked.

“That’s it? You’re just going to throw me under the bus?”

“Oh yeah, I believe in the event where I have to face the wrath of my sister and cousin, I would have to,” she said, laughing. Despite trying to hold it back, Taylor couldn’t help but laugh… Until his eyes landed on the painting from Leon that is.

Desiree noticed what he was looking at and sighed. “What do we do about that?” she asked.

“Sweetheart, I am not in a position to tell you what to do.”

“Yes. But whatever I decide affects both of us in the long run.” Taylor drew little circles on her upper arm as his girlfriend looked him in the eyes.

“You sure about that?” he asked.

“Well, let’s see, would you be okay if we were making love and you looked over and you saw something my ex gave me? Wouldn’t it kill the mood?” she asked. He shrugged. “It’s almost like being on the same sheets, me and Leon…” she never got to finish that sentence. Taylor kissed her hard and deep. By the time he pulled away, all she could do was smile.

“Question, are these the same sheets?” he asked. She smiled at him and shook her head.

“Me and Leon never came here,” she said, looking into his eyes. “You should really consider yourself lucky.” He kissed her again and pulled himself away from her. She watched him as he climbed off the bed and walked over to where the painting was and picked it up.

“How much did you say this was worth?” he asked. Desiree pulled herself up to a sitting position and shrugged.

“I don’t know really, a few thousand.”

“Then sell it,” he said. Desiree looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Yeah. If it makes you so uncomfortable, sell it. Do something worthwhile with the cash… invest it or something,” he said, looking at her. A smile played on her lips as he walked towards the bed.

“I would hate to put you in a position where you have to second guess yourself every so often because of what I think. But the truth is, Leon gave this to you. And if you don’t want it then you do what you want. Just know that whatever decision you make, I will support you.”

Taylor put the painting down.

Desiree smiled and held his face in her hands again. Leaned forward she pressed her lips on his.

As they kissed, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. Good men were hard to come by. and now that she had one in her life, she was going to make sure that she would hang on with every last breath. And just like that, she knew that she had made a decision. She was going to sell that painting so she would never look at it and think of the years she had wasted on Leon again.